This volume of the Cambridge History of the English Language encompasses three centuries of immense cultural change, from Caxton in the late Middle Ages to the American Declaration of Independence and the beginnings of Romanticism. During this period, Middle English became Early Modern English and then developed into the early stages of indisputably "modern" English. This book traces developments in orthography and punctuation, phonology and morphology, syntax, lexis and semantics, regional and social variation, and the literary language. It also contains a glossary of linguistic terms and an extensive bibliography.Contents1. Introduction Roger Lass2. Orthography and punctuation Vivian Salmon3. Phonology and morphology Roger Lass4. Syntax Matti Rissanen5. Lexis and semantics Terttu Nevalainen6. Regional and social variation Manfred Grlach7. Literary language Sylvia AdamsonGlossary of linguistic termsBibliography.Review"... this will become a classic in studies of history of the English language." Choice